FORT WORTH - Sometimes the stars align. For Makenna Aycock, that's exactly how her Senior Day - and the Texas Wesleyan Softball (24-26, 19-15 SAC) team's regular season home finale - came to a close. More importantly, the Lady Rams took 7-3 and 10-1 victories over Southwestern Christian (13-31, 7-25 SAC) to keep pace in a tightly contested Sooner Athletic Conference race for tournament seeding.

In the second game of the Saturday doubleheader, in the bottom of the fifth (Rams up 8-1), Aycock accomplished one more thing most players never do: an inside the park home run. Not just an inside the park homer, but an inside the park homer that earned a win. The single-season record holder for strikeouts, Aycock ripped a shot down the right-field line - her third hit in as many at-bats in Game 2. As it trickled all the way into the corner of the enclosed grass, Head Coach Shannon Gower didn't have to waive her on because the entire dugout had it covered. The throw was well late of the plate and Aycock had done it - not just her first inside the park home run as a Ram, but her first home run - period - as a Ram. It was her first three-hit game at TXWES.

Aycock follows in the footsteps of her fellow senior teammate Bailey Terry, who broke the program's single-season, all-time RBI record with an inside the park home run - on this exact date last year.

Terry - a four-year senior playing in her final home game - was 2-for-5 with 3 RBI.

Kylie Summers continues her stellar play from the lead-off position. She was a perfect 5-for-5 against Eagles pitchers with 3 RBI and now has multiple hits in four-straight games - 10-of-12 during that stretch. Her batting average has soared to second on the team, only behind Lacy Mann who had 3 RBI of her own on Senior Day. Mann pitched Game 2 with eight strikeouts, her new season high.

Kaitlyn Johnson had 3 RBI on one hit, scoring three in the first inning of Game 2 on a double to center field that carried with the wind to the fence.

This capped a day that included 12 strikeouts on the mound from Aycock in Game 1, besting her game-high in the last two seasons by two. She was just two Ks away from tying the Lady Rams' record for most strikeouts in a game - 14 - which has happened on three different occasions. It's the most strikeouts by the Rams since three pitchers combined to do it May 1, 2015 against ... Southwestern Christian. Amber Marlett had 13 strikeouts by herself against Huntington (Ind.) earlier that season.

With Aycock and Terry, the team also celebrated Senior Day with Team Manager, Shelby Spence.

WHAT'S NEXT + TOURNAMENT TALK
Langston? The conference is attempting to once again finish the Lady Rams' series with Langston, but dates are running thin. Before going further, let's break down the two races that are relevant:

Current SAC Standings:
No. 3 - Mid-America Christian                 19-14    
No. 4 - Texas Wesleyan                             19-15        
No. 5 - SAGU                                                19-15        
No. 6 - Oklahoma Panhandle State       20-16

No. 7 - Langston                                         10-22
No. 8 - Central Christian                            8-25
No. 9 - Southwestern Christian                7-25

Meaningful games remaining:
Sunday - Southwestern Christian @ SAGU (doubleheader)
Monday - Mid-America Christian @ Central Christian (doubleheader + resuming of suspended 2-2 game from earlier this season)
Monday - Langston @ Southwestern Christian (doubleheader)
TBD - Texas Wesleyan @ Langston (doubleheader)

The conference tournament starts Thursday and the impact of the last two games for the Lady Rams against the Lions could have impact on a number of teams' seeding and whether or not they even make the tournament at all. Dates are wearing thin and the game may be unable to be played. The doubleheader has been moved twice this season.

Meanwhile, University of Science and Arts has won 56 games in a row and is unbeaten in 2019, the longest winning streak in college softball history, including the NCAA.